Riding Tall
by Elly Baggins 15
Summary: Frodo and Merry teach Pippin to ride a pony. Written for Marigold's challenge.


**Riding Tall by Elly Baggins**

Frodo and Merry teach Pippin to ride a pony.

Note: I have no idea how to ride a pony…I tried my best 

Frodo looked at the pony in front of him. He and Merry were going to teach their 12-year-old cousin Pippin to ride it, much to the youngster's glee.

"Well, isn't he lovely? I think I'll call him Toadie, after the toad I caught yesterday. Isn't that such a great name?" Pippin was ecstatic with excitement, looking at his new pony with wide eyes.

"Toadie is an…interesting name," Frodo said slowly, "But wouldn't you like to give him an elvish name?"

"Frodo, he is not an elvish pony. He is a hobbit pony. So why would I give him an elvish name? Toadie is a perfectly good name," Pippin replied indignantly.

"Toadie it is then," Merry sighed. "Pip, you need to put the saddle on first."

15 minutes later (which included Frodo and Merry arguing over the way to put on a saddle, Pippin attempting to snatch the saddle off them and work it out himself, and all three attempting to calm the now startled Toadie) the pony was in a nearby field, ready to be ridden.

"So how do I get on him?" Pippin asked, staring up at the beast.

"Put your foot in the saddle- that's it- now flip your other leg over- help him, Merry- and now hold the reigns. See? Easy!" Pippin beamed down at Frodo from his position on Toadie.

"Now what?" he asked, anxious to actually begin moving.

"Gently push your knees into his sides - very gently," Frodo replied, keeping in mind that his definition of 'gently' was probably not the same as Pippin's. The pony trotted on slowly. Its former owners had obviously treated and trained it well.

"Keep your ankles down!" Merry put in.

"I wanna go faster!" Pippin squealed from the saddle. They were trotting in a wide circle, Frodo and Merry walking along side.

"Dig your knees in again," Frodo said "Gently," He added. But in his eagerness Pippin didn't do it quite so gently, and Toadie was suddenly beyond his control.

"Merrrrrrry! Frodoooooooo!" he screamed as he was kicked off and landed with a thud on the thankfully soft grass.

"PIP!" The elder hobbits shouted simultaneously, and practically flew towards him. To their surprise, he stood up, brushed himself off, and turned to them.

"I'm alright! Don't worry!" but then he turned to Toadie. "That was a very bad thing to do! Be a good pony!" This was accompanied by Merry guffawing and Frodo's eyebrows disappearing into his hairline.

"Um, Pip, the pony doesn't really, um, understand…" Frodo trailed off as he saw tears trickling down the young hobbit's cheeks.

"He hates me," Pippin sobbed, "Toadie was mean!" Merry immediately went to embrace him.

"Oh, Pip, he doesn't hate you…you were just a bit too, well, you weren't very gentle that time, but that's okay, you have to keep trying, alright?" Pippin nodded and Frodo came up to wipe away the tears.

"Right, back in the saddle, then. Let's give it another go, hmm?" Frodo said, giving Pippin a little help to climb up.

Toadie was at a steady gallop around the field, and Pippin was squealing with delight. It was 2 days since the pony first bucked him off, and since then Pippin had adopted many more cuts and bruises. But now he had learnt how to handle him properly, and he loved the feeling of the breeze caressing his hair when he rode against the wind. The two elder hobbits watched, swelling with pride, as their little cousin went round and round on his first ever pony.

"He's a quick learner, that one. Make a good Thain one day," Frodo said to Merry, who was keeping a very close eye on the said future Thain.

"Yes, I'm so proud. Wait till everyone hears how well he's done!" Merry replied, as Pippin brought Toadie to a stop. He patted his pony's neck before Frodo helped him to dismount.

"Let's take him to the stable, then we'll go have a bit of afternoon tea. How does that sound?" Frodo asked Pippin. His younger cousin's stomach rumbled in answer. They all laughed, and the three -four, if you count Toadie- headed off toward the stables.

The end


End file.
